


but it could be soon

by starbuckstomlinson



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, actual Great Guy niall, but it's ladies night, disheleved phd candidate harry, i don't think i use tags the way they're meant but that's alright yeah, liam is far too polite, louis sings karaoke, zayn is a beer snob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-20 06:09:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2417888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starbuckstomlinson/pseuds/starbuckstomlinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall drags them to a different bar for ladies' night, and Liam isn't having a good time until the hot bartender gives him a new beer to try. Louis is a Mature Adult who handles crushes very maturely, and Harry is nothing if not encouraging.<br/>And Zayn--Zayn is not about to let Liam get them arrested for public indecency outside his place of employment, okay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	but it could be soon

**Author's Note:**

> Vague AU based not at all on real events. Originally a birthday fic for Christinaaa. Still a birthday fic for Christina, if we're being honest.
> 
> Title from "All of You" (Riz MC), which is excellent..../writing/ music. If ya catch my drift.

**WEDNESDAY**

“Come onnnnnnn,” Niall almost-whines. “We all went along last week when Louis wanted to go to that _art history lecture_ ,” he argues, saying “lecture” like it’s a dirty word.

“That was a fact-finding mission,” Louis hisses, defensive.

Liam rolls his eyes. “Fine. Ignoring the fact that it is a _Wednesday_ , we will go with you to a new bar. For two hours. And then we’re going home. I have work tomorrow, as do both of you.”

“Fact-finding,” Niall scoffs. “You stared at his ass the whole time. I thought we were done with school, dude.”

“You can listen while staring at someone’s ass,” Louis shoots back.

“What did you learn, then?” Liam asks, one eyebrow raised.

Louis shrugs, eyes going out of focus. “He smiled when we walked in.”

“Probably because we were the only people there.”

“No one asked you,” Louis growls at Niall, turning into a dark parking lot. “Now what the fuck is this place, anyway?”

Niall is out the door before the car stops, and now he opens Liam’s door and tries to drag him out. “It’s this bar some guy at work told me about. Kind of a dive, but like, it’s ladies’ night.”

Liam groans. “So a bunch of hot girls looking to have a good time with their friends, and a bunch of skeevy guys striking out with them. Sounds fun.”

“Oh god,” Louis shudders. “Does that make us those skeevy guys? Ni- _all_!”

“What? No!” he insists. “We’re just hanging out, yeah? I heard they have like, good beer and shit.”

“Or did you hear that the beer is shit?” Liam clarifies. “That’s different, Niall.”

Niall’s only reply is to turn his back and lift his middle finger into the air, fake-stomping in through the back door of the bar. Liam and Louis follow, defeated, and Liam tries not to cringe as he hears the opening bars of “Before He Cheats” coming from what could only be a karaoke machine.

Louis, as Liam predicted, is having a good time within about thirty seconds of entering the establishment, and already has a small crowd gathered around as he recounts some ridiculous story (probably the embellished version of the time Niall fell into a fountain after a night out when they were in college, which admittedly is quite captivating). Niall has made himself at home in a booth with a couple of girls Liam is 98% sure are there on a date, which doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest (since his eyes are crinkling when they hold hands and he’s shamelessly flirting with the waitress).

Liam...could be having a worse time, probably. Possibly. He’s carved himself out a little spot at the bar, in the corner against a wall, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. He’s considering getting a drink, but the bartender looks pretty swamped, and Liam’s in no hurry. Instead, he just kind of people-watches, and mentally prepares himself for when Louis will inevitably take over the karaoke mic. For about twenty minutes, he’s able to keep his attention on the people who are _not_ ordering drinks at the bar, but eventually his gaze drifts back, and then it’s all over.

The bartender (on whom Liam has very deliberately not let his gaze linger), is otherworldly. At least, that’s the only word Liam can think of to adequately describe him. He considers “perfect” but that holds a few too many expectations, so he settles on the more academic-sounding version of his first reaction, which is “out of this world.” (Okay maybe his first thought was “ _that dude’s a fucking angel_ ” but he’d never admit it.) 

This fascination with (and terror of) the bartender is what keeps Liam entirely sober for the first hour. He hears the guy introduce himself as “Zayn” to the giggling girls that slide in next to him, and he sees _Zayn_ keep shooting him sidelong glances, as if to say, “Aren’t you gonna order something, man?” But Liam just sits there and pretends to play around on his phone, at least until he hears the karaoke emcee announce that the next singer will be “....the, uh, Tommo?” And that definitely deserves a drink.

He awkwardly tries to catch Zayn’s attention with the politest wave he can manage, and by the time Louis has stumbled up to the microphone, the bartender comes over to Liam’s corner with a slight smirk.

“Finally made up your mind, then?”

“Er, yeah, I, uh...” Liam realizes he hasn’t actually made up his mind, and jumps for the easiest thing he can think of--what was it the special board said? “Uh, just a Bud Light,” he manages, remembering too late that he doesn’t actually like Bud Light.

Zayn looks him up and down, frowning slightly. “Dude, you can’t drink that,” he says finally.

Liam opens his mouth to ask “why the fuck not,” but then he hears Louis’ song starting up, and _oh god_ he picked Maroon 5 this can’t possibly end well. Niall’s encouraging catcall makes him flinch a little, and he wonders if there’s anything else he can do to distance himself from his ridiculous friends. Then he remembers the impossibly hot dude who’s still staring at him.

“You like IPAs?” Zayn asks, already reaching for a glass.

“Um, I guess?”

“Good enough.” Looking pleased with himself, he hands Liam a pint of something that smells just a little bit spicy.

Liam ponders it. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

Zayn laughs. “It’s our seasonal IPA, from a local place. Nothing scary, I promise. Try it.”

Faking a grimace, Liam takes a careful sip while Zayn watches him like a hawk.

_“And HER HEART is BREAKING in fronnnnnnt of me--”_

Liam laughs and takes a huge gulp. “I like it,” he announces to Zayn. “Also I need to be way drunker if I’m gonna deal with that asshole’s karaoke boner.”

Zayn stares at him incredulously, but before Liam has a chance to trip over himself backtracking, the bartender’s head is thrown back in a hearty laugh. “At least he has a nice voice,” Zayn chokes out between laughs. Liam chuckles along, even though he’s not really sure he’s that funny.

“Not when he’s singing in the shower,” he mutters, and Zayn suddenly stops laughing.

Liam’s eyes go wide, and this time he _does_ trip over himself backtracking. “Not that--we’re not, I mean I’m not, we’re--he’s my roommate. We live together. With another guy. As roommates. Just that. He likes someone else, actually, he--oh fuck he’s got a huge crush on that dude that just walked in.” 

At this point, Liam is fairly certain tonight is just a ridiculously long and detailed nightmare. He’s just made an ass of himself in front of the first guy he’s been interested in since senior year of college, and now he’s counting the seconds until Louis’ begging to go home because he’s embarrassed himself so thoroughly in front of “almost-Dr. Harry.” Again.

Zayn looks like he can’t decide what part of Liam’s speech to focus on first. “That-- _that_ guy? Wait so you--?” His eyes slide off Liam as another person approaches the bar. “Um, hey, Harry.”

Liam spins around on the barstool, almost sloshing his drink everywhere, to gawk at the disheveled PhD candidate Louis has been crushing on for the last three weeks, standing there at the bar, looking just as confused.

“Didn’t you attend my lecture last week?” Almost-Dr. Harry asks, cocking his head to the side like he’s trying to figure out what to do with Liam.

“No,” Liam blurts out, and then he blushes. “Um, I dunno why I said that. That’s a lie. Yeah, I was there with--with my friends. Roommates. Friends.”

Harry nods as if that makes sense. “Right yeah, of course. Are you a student?”

As Zayn is distracted by another customer, Liam blushes harder and tries to answer, even though it’s _Louis_ who should be embarrassed by all this, not him. “Uh, no. My friend just--well, he wanted to stop by. He likes art, and stuff.”

Zayn reappears with a beer for Harry and hangs out for a minute, still eyeing Liam with a strange expression. Liam, for his part, wishes he could melt into the floor, but instead, Harry looks over at the karaoke mic curiously, and his face brightens ridiculously when he sees Louis belting out the final lines of “This Love” and swaying side-by-side with Niall. “I’ll be right back....”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Liam swings back to face Zayn and plops his glass down on the bar. “So that was good,” he offers, feeling stupid for no discernible reason.

Zayn nods tightly, and then seems to suddenly relax as he fetches Liam another without asking.

“What did you mean by that, earlier?” Liam asks, curiosity getting the better of him. “When you said I couldn’t drink a Bud Light?”

Zayn chuckles. “Look at yourself, man, like. If you didn’t know you, and you saw yourself sitting in a dive bar during ladies night with a Bud, what would you think of yourself? And that’s besides the fact that you ordered like, the nastiest shit we serve here.”

“Uh....”

“Shit, I’m sorry, that came out wrong,” Zayn immediately apologizes. “I didn’t mean that you, like--”

Liam grins. “You meant I look kinda douchey, yeah?”

“Well, clearly you’re not!” Zayn protests.

“You don’t even know me, man. I could be the biggest douche in the place, maybe that’s why I ordered the beer.”

Shrugging, Zayn turns halfway back to his other customers. “Well you’re not,” he mutters, and Liam bites his lip to stop himself from beaming.

“I did like what you gave me,” Liam repeats, just loudly enough for Zayn to hear. He sees the other man’s shoulders shake with silent laughter, and blushes for the zillionth time that night. “You know what I mean,” he says, more to himself, and Zayn doesn’t seem to hear. 

But he stops by Liam’s corner several more times that night (yeah, they stay way longer than two hours), just to make dumb jokes or to refill his beer, and by the time Louis’ been peeled off of Harry and Niall’s waved goodbye to his gaggle of new friends, Liam glances down at the check Zayn hands off and sees that he’s been charged for a total of three Bud Lights. Liam almost grabs his attention to correct the mistake, but before he can, Zayn is winking at him, and Liam’s a little buzzed but he catches that, and grins back before leaving way more on the bar than the six dollars Zayn had charged him.

They all say farewells like old friends, promising to stop by the bar again sometime, since Zayn assures them it’s quieter most nights, and Liam knows he won’t be able to keep Louis away if Harry’s a regular. Niall just grins, drunk and happy, and they troop out the door. They’re almost at the car when Zayn jogs out, waving Louis’ keys.

“Harry stole this off him earlier,” he admits with a grin. “But, uh, maybe you guys should wait it out a bit, yeah?”

Liam almost argues, but realizes he’s right. As the most sober of their trio, Liam knows he’s not good to drive for at least another half hour and four glasses of water, so he shrugs and Niall grins and Louis beats them all back inside. It’s a much later night than Liam had planned, but somehow, back at the bar with Zayn topping off his H2O every three minutes, he can’t bring himself to mind.

* * *

**FRIDAY**

As he wipes down the bar and readies to lock up around 3am on Friday night, Zayn tries not to be disappointed that Liam hasn’t been back in. It’s only been two days, he reasons, but that doesn’t mean his new friends _can’t_ have stopped by again. Just that they haven’t (yet).

He’s finishing up later than usual, and anxious to get out and get home, so he cuts a few corners, leaving dishes in the sink and not wiping down every single table. Zayn’s always the first one in and out anyway, so he’ll catch himself up tomorrow, after he’s had some shut-eye.

Zayn switches off the main light and heads out the back, only to be startled by a figure hunched against the wall just outside. He almost grabs his taser (it’s come in handy a time or two), but the figure looks up, and under the bill of a beat-up LA Kings hat, he sees Liam’s hopeful eyes and hesitant smile.

“Shit, man, you scared me,” Zayn breathes, relaxing. He goes to lock the door behind him and then stops. “Did you--need to come in, or...?”

“Nah,” Liam shakes his head. “Just was hoping to catch you.”

Zayn turns the key and grins. “Well you caught me.” He remembers being exhausted only moments ago, but he’s not sure why anymore. “Did you, uh, have something to...?” He trails off, hoping Liam will fill in the blanks, but instead the other man steps closer without a word, joining Zayn under the emergency lamp.

They stand like that for a moment, very much in each other’s personal space, and the only times Zayn can remember being in a position like that, he was either about to throw a punch or about to be kissed. He can’t smell any alcohol on Liam’s breath, so it’s a little difficult for him to explain what happens next.

Liam leans forward, his nose almost touching Zayn’s, and his eyes ask a wordless question. Zayn nods, bumping their noses, and then Liam’s kissing him. And he’s... well, he’s even better than Zayn imagined he would be, which makes him like a 13/10 on the good-kisser scale that is 100% a real thing. Liam runs his hands through Zayn’s hair, and Zayn grabs a fistful of Liam’s shirt and pulls him back against the brick wall. He feels Liam sigh into his mouth and tugs again, just to see what Liam will do. Which is, again, a surprise.

Rather than leaning into him again, like Zayn was expecting, Liam slides to his knees, nose against Zayn’s stomach, and his hands drift in from Zayn’s hips.

For just a moment, Zayn is too stunned to move, and then his brain kicks into gear. He grabs Liam’s shoulders and gently pulls him back into a standing position, staring him in the eye.

“Are you drunk?”

Liam cocks his head, looking genuinely surprised. “Um, no?” He studies Zayn for a moment. “I mean, I had a beer before I came over here, to get my nerve up but like....no?”

Zayn narrows his eyes. “So you’re not drunk?”

“No?” Liam repeats.

“Then why the fuck are you trying to blow me outside this dive bar?”

“Oh, oh shit.” Liam steps back, his blush evident even in the darkness. “I’m, I’m really sorry. I’ll just go, I didn’t mean to--”

“What?” Zayn grabs his wrist. “No, fuck, man, I just don’t want to get arrested. My car’s right over here. Come on.” He gives Liam’s arm a little tug, leaving him a chance to say no.

Liam lights up and follows instantly, his free hand snaking under Zayn’s jacket and searching out bare skin. Zayn’s back tingles at the touch, and he fumbles to unlock the car door, opening the driver’s side just enough to flip the lock on the back doors, and then Liam’s yanking open the back and they’re tumbling inside Zayn’s cluttered backseat.

After a little maneuvering (and Liam somehow pulling the door closed with his foot), Zayn has Liam on his back with his shirt halfway off, and _now_ they’re getting somewhere. He sucks a mark into Liam’s neck and lets Liam push the jacket off his shoulders before he divests Liam of his t-shirt completely. Zayn takes a moment to admire the view (abs for _days_ , he confirms happily), and then Liam is pulling him back down for another sloppy, wet kiss. Zayn laughs into Liam’s mouth, shrugging off all thoughts of the late hour, and he really, _really_ hopes Liam doesn’t have anywhere to be in the morning.

Zayn sits up a little to straddle Liam’s hips, one leg hanging off the edge of the seat as he braces himself on the headrest with one arm. Liam gazes up at him, face still lit with happiness and arousal, and Zayn slides back. 

“Up,” he decides, and he pulls at Liam’s arms a little, tugging him up and forward until Liam’s leaning against the window, Zayn practically in his lap. “I have an idea,” he confides, crowding into Liam’s space again so he can whisper it in his ear like it’s something dirty. Which it is, if Liam’s reaction is anything to judge by. His breath hitches and he grabs Zayn’s ass, pulling him impossibly closer and nosing at his neck.

Zayn mouths at Liam’s ear and reaches a hand down to thumb at the top button of his fly. Catching on quickly, Liam supports Zayn with one hand and squirms out of his jeans.

“Stay sitting,” Zayn whispers before he slides down Liam’s body, pressing lips and tongue in a trail of invisible tattoos down his stomach. He rests a hand on each of Liam’s thighs and mouths at his erection, enjoying Liam’s hissed curses. As Zayn reaches to tug his boxers off, Liam’s hand slips from where he’d been supporting himself on the edge of the seat, knocking against the window crank.

He’s suddenly sideways, half off the seat and half on top of Zayn, since his weight has forced the window open a few inches, and the crank is now a half-turn lower than it was four seconds ago. Zayn is smushed between his thighs, giggling into Liam’s crotch, but the moment is only slightly ruined, because Liam is still hard, and Zayn’s mouth is still _right there_.

Still laughing, Zayn shoves at Liam’s leg, trying to maneuver them back into a more realistic position before they go on. “I’d love to say that happens all the time,” he offers, “but you’re actually the first person I’ve tried to blow in my backseat, so...”

Liam joins his giggles, feeling a little less self-conscious, and Zayn grins up at him before tugging Liam’s boxers down a few inches. Liam lets out a hissing sounds when Zayn’s hot breath hits him full-force, and he tries to slither out of his boxers completely before realizing Zayn’s current position between his knees is going to make that, well, impossible. Zayn kisses his stomach lightly, glancing back up at Liam through lowered lashes as his mouth moves back down again. Liam’s only just recovering from the fit of laughter, but suddenly things have gotten serious again (seriously _sexy_ , his ridiculous brain supplies), and his breath catches embarrassingly when Zayn suddenly swallows him down.

It’s probably ridiculously cheesy and a little early to say it’s the best blowjob Liam’s ever gotten...but it is, without a doubt, the best blowjob Liam’s ever gotten. Zayn responds to ever whimper and twitch, licking and sucking and _swallowing_ , and neither of them is too bothered about measuring the actual amount of time, but in the back of his head, Liam’s a little embarrassed anyway when he huffs out, “Zayn--’m gonna--”

Zayn gives him one more good lick before pulling off and taking him in hand, and it’s only a few strokes before Liam’s coming and. _Whoa_. Liam collapses back against the door, tugging Zayn down on top of him, and Zayn gives his abs another sloppy kiss before twisting onto his side and shoving a hand into his own pants.

Liam can’t do anything but watch, captivated, as Zayn quickly jerks himself off, stubble rough against Liam’s stomach as he comes with a string of curses. As Liam comes back to himself, he almost jumps.

“Fuck!” he yelps, startling Zayn, who’s curled up on top of him, still a little dazed. “Fuck, that was--I’m the worst, you shouldn’t have--”

Zayn grins lazily up at him. “Don’t worry, babe, you didn’t miss your chance. As soon as I can move my legs again, I’m taking you back to my place for round two.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://www.ridiculouisly.tumblr.com) ! :)


End file.
